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Exhibitions

July 19, 2016

When we prepare our annual Art of Outstanding Television Costume Design exhibition, we have the opportunity to closely examine garments as we condition, dress, and place ensembles around the galleries. Though these costumes are meant for the small screen, we are continuously amazed at the beautiful and intricate details that designers incorporate into their work. It is these thoughtful additions that help the audience understand and interpret characters, giving vibrancy and authenticity to the programs we love to watch. The exhibition officially opens to the public on August 2, but we couldn't wait to share a few of our favorite costume details with you below.

Game of Thrones: Doran Martell played by Alexander Siddig, Costume Design by Michele Clapton

June 20, 2016

We hope you’ve had a chance to visit our Graceful Giftfan exhibition, learn about the unique objects on display, and hear directly from our donor and fan collector Mona Lee Nesseth. Now, there’s even more to see when you visit our galleries: we are excited to announce the temporary installation SHAPED: Case Studies in Communication, Ventilation & Construction. In coordination with AGraceful Gift, students in FIDM's Advanced Practice in Color, Design & 3D Form class researched and created conceptual interpretations of the fan and its many functions. Each piece is accompanied by a text panel written by the student, explaining the process behind their artwork.

The gallery contains photography, 3D art objects, jewelry, and textiles, all joined together by the inspiration of the fan. We invite you to visit SHAPED, and compare these pieces to their 19th and 20th century traditional counterparts in A Graceful Gift. But hurry – both shows close July 2! Please refer to the FIDM Museum website for days and hours of operation.

March 23, 2016

Her peers elected her President of the Fashion Section at the famed Exposition Universelle de Paris in 1900.[1] In 1913, she accepted France’s prestigious Legion d’Honneur in recognition of her economic contributions to the country – the first woman designer to receive the honor.[2] From 1917 – 1919, she served as the first female president of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, the governing board of all couture designers.[3] Though discussion of early twentieth-century design is typically dominated by the avant-garde aesthetic of Paul Poiret, there was another pioneer leading the way in both fashion and female entrepreneurialism: Jeanne Paquin (1869 – 1936).

Paquin began her career apprenticing in the flourishing couture houses of Paris, eventually becoming premiere, the head of the atelier, at Maison Rouff. When she opened her own salon in 1891 on the Rue de la Paix, next door to the house of Worth, she was in charge of design, while her new husband Isidore Paquin ran the business.[4] This was somewhat of a rarity at the time; at the houses of Worth, Poiret, and Fortuny, men served as head designers, while their wives acted as muses and models. The House of Paquin grew in popularity and became one of the largest design houses in Paris, employing up to 2,000 people at its height. She dressed everyone from Queens of Europe to famous courtesans, and eventually opened branches in London, Buenos Aires, and Madrid.[5]

March 09, 2016

In today’s tech-centric world, it is nearly impossible to imagine a life before instant communication was available. When we want to speak with a friend, we can pick up the phone – or if that is too archaic, we can send a text, a tweet, a Facebook message, an email…the possibilities are endless! Last Friday, members of the FIDM Museum Fashion Council took a step back in time and learned how women of the 19th century communicated before the era of Snapchat through the Silent Language of Fans.

After an elegant (and delicious!) catered tea in Grand Hope Park, guests were treated to a lecture by fashion historian Maxwell Barr on how women used fans to communicate specific meanings. A model wearing reproduction 1880s attire demonstrated the graceful and subtle movements; armed with fans, the audience was able to attempt the silent language for themselves. For example, to flutter the open fan towards oneself indicates “dance with me,” and to direct the open fan towards the floor says “I despise you!” The next time you’re feeling amorous, place your hand over your heart while holding the fan open in front of your eyes – this gesture tells your partner “I love you.” So much more romantic than emojis!

March 04, 2016

Curator Kevin Jones recently traveled to San Francisco to install loaned FIDM Museum objects in the de Young Museum's upcoming Oscar de la Renta retrospective! Read on to hear how our objects are installed at other institutions, and what it was liking working with fashion legend and former Vogue Editor at Large André Leon Tally.

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It is always a pleasure to loan objects from the FIDM Museum to sister institutions and to work with fellow museum professionals. Not only do we reach new audiences viewing our objects, but the objects have contextualized reasons to be brought out of dark storage and exhibited in all their glory. We often get to travel to fun locals for installation…hence my reason for being in San Francisco last week. The FIDM Museum is loaning three ensembles to the upcoming Oscar de la Renta: The Retrospective exhibition (March 12–May 30, 2016) at the de Young Museum. Co-curated by fashion-legend André Leon Tally, Jennifer Park, and Molly Sorkin, this will be a huge (130 mannequins) blockbuster not to miss, especially if you love the high glamour of high society!

The following photos are a run-through of installing the FIDM Museum ensembles:

Our crate arrives! de Young art handlers transport and unscrew the crate in one of the very full galleries where the exhibition is being staged. The crate arrived the week before and was allowed to acclimatize before being opened. This helps the garments to adjust to atmospheric differences between Los Angeles and San Francisco. At left (out of view) was my worktable where I unpacked the archival boxes one-by-one as I dressed each ensemble.

March 01, 2016

By now, you probably know Mad Max’s Jenny Beavan took home the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, but did you catch the rest of the FIDM Museum’s Oscar Week coverage? Don’t miss our exclusive interviews with nominated Costume Designers Paco Delgado, Jacqueline West, and Sandy Powell; read on for a behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood’s most glamorous week!

February 26, 2016

We conclude our Oscar Week Costume Designer Q&A with this year's double nominee, Sandy Powell, who is recognized for her work on both Cinderella and Carol. Powell's celebrated career includes Academy Award wins for Shakespeare in Love (1999), The Aviator (2005), and The Young Victoria (2010).The diaphanous blue ballgown from Cinderella is one of the highlight's of FIDM Museum's Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition; Powell's design is a feat of engineering, layering cage crinolines with petticoats and superfine fabrics in blues and lavenders to achieve a watercolor effect. The designer partnered with Swarovski to add sparkle to the gown, and the crystal company also helped Powell create a one-of-a-kind glass slipper for the film. Read below for Powell's take on period costume design, collaborating with Cate Blanchett, and the actresses that inspired Cinderella's stepmother.

Q: Harvey Weinstein once said your great gift is your ability to make costumes look contemporary. You manage to be both true to the period and modern. How did you incorporate this methodology while you were designing for Carol?

A: I’m not sure I did in this particular case! I know he’s referring to other films that I’ve done with him, such as Shakespeare in Love which is a period film, but because of the nature of it, it’s a comedy, and appealing to the masses. There were modern elements, like the Shakespeare doublet was made to be the equivalent of a leather jacket, even though it was in Elizabethan cut, I tried to make the feel of it like a leather jacket. For Carol, I think it appeals to a modern audience because they are clothes that actually could be worn now. Somebody could wear this and not look out of place. Maybe the hat would look a little odd, but the actual dress could easily be worn and not look like a costume.

Q: And that was because of the character of Carol being so sophisticated?

February 24, 2016

Today we continue our Costume Designer Q&A Series with Jacqueline West, Academy Award nominee for her work on the powerful film The Revenant. Brad Pitt, whom she dressed in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, once called West "a method designer," and her work for The Revenant was no different. She immersed herself in research, visiting collections and reading primary source materials to accurately depict the true story of fur traders and First Nations people making their way through the unforgiving frontier mountains. West shares with us her love for museums, how art history inspires her work, and discusses her personal vintage collection (and she wants to make sure you don't miss A Graceful Gift, the fan exhibition currently on display in our history gallery!)

Q: You went to the Museum of the Fur Trade to research The Revenant. Can you talk about museum collections and libraries, and what that means to your work?

A: It’s very, very important. In fact, I would encourage any FIDM student if they’re visiting Europe or the East Coast or Washington D.C., go to the Smithsonian, go to the Metropolitan in New York, they have an incredible costume exhibition on always. There’s a fabulous Native American Museum in Washington D.C. that’s unbelievable. Go to museums, study this stuff. You’ll come up with your own feelings about different things you see, and it will inspire you on everything you do for the rest of your life.

February 09, 2016

“And now, you are needed ON SET…” These words ushered guests into the 24th Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition on Saturday night, where designers, actors, FIDM staff, and alumni joined together under the famous chandelier tent to preview this year’s installation. The exhibition features 100 ensembles from 23 films of 2015; action, science fiction and fantasy mix with musicals and period dramas to showcase outstanding examples of costume design from the past year.

Heavy buzz surrounded the five Academy Award nominees for Best Costume Design, all of which are on display: The Danish Girl (Paco Delgado), Cinderella (Sandy Powell), The Revenant (Jacqueline West), Mad Max: Fury Road (Jenny Beavan), and Carol (Sandy Powell). Guests marveled at Kate Hawley’s beautifully morbid designs for Crimson Peak, and FIDM alumna Soyon An wowed with her punk-rock inspired pieces for Jem and the Holograms. Of course, the crowd swarmed Star Wars: The Force Awakens (costumes by Michael Kaplan) to inspect Rey, Captain Phasma, and the bloodied Stormtrooper up-close; a live-action Kylo Ren provided theatrics as he posed with party-goers, complete with his notorious crossguard light saber. Even Paco Delgado, Costume Designer for The Danish Girl, took part in the Star Wars mania – he admitted “I’m a huge Star Wars fan! I want to have a Darth Vader suit made for me.”

Today, the exhibition opens to the public (February 9 – April 30, 2016) and we can’t wait for you to see it in person. Hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m; please note we will be closed Friday, March 4 and open on the Monday after the Academy Awards, February 29. Group tours are available for a cost of $20 per person, or a flat fee of $200 for a party of 10 or under. Contact Curator Kevin Jones to schedule a tour: (213) 623-5821 x3367. The Museum is located at 919 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90015.

Photographs without flash are allowed; tag us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@FIDMMuseum) and use the hashtag #ArtofCostumeDesign to share your favorite pieces in the exhibition!

FIDM Museum & Galleries’ popular annual exhibition shines the spotlight on costumes that help bring memorable film characters to life. Visitors have the opportunity to see the exquisite designs and craftsmanship produced by Hollywood’s top costume designers. This year’s exhibition will feature 23 of 2015’s most notable films in a variety of genres. Highlights include Crimson Peak, The Hateful Eight, Straight Outta Compton, and STAR WARS: The Force Awakens. The FIDM Museum is thrilled to showcase all five Academy Award nominees for Best Costume Design:

Fixed, folded, or fontage—fans have cooled the air, aided elegance of movement, and spoken a silent language for centuries. A Graceful Gift displays the fantastical ornamentation of these miniature artworks that hold our gaze and draw us in to look ever closer: minutely painted leaves depict courtly lovers, expertly carved mother-of-pearl scenes reveal convoluting cherubs, and delicately entwined silk filaments form bouquets of lace. As intended, these remarkable late-Victorian and Edwardian accessories are complemented by couture ensembles dressed for varied occasions that required a final flourish at the wrist.

Fashion Council member and world-renowned gemologist Mona Lee Nesseth exercised her jeweler’s eye when forming this remarkable collection of Belle Époque fans. The FIDM Museum is enriched by her generous gift.